Life Rant: How I Stopped Breaking Out + Current routine (review links)
How it All Started
I started breaking out in March of this year and it lasted for over 9 months. The breakouts started off small, then slowly proceeded into a combination of black/whiteheads, nodules and pustules.
Nodules are large, inflamed pimples that are develop deep within the skin. They are firm to the touch and usually lasts for weeks on end because they are basically a big bump with no openings. I had so many of these that the shape of my face was disfigured, especially around the cheek area.
Pustules are inflamed whiteheads that sting when you touch them, they usually have a ring of redness around them, and are always filled with pus. For me, Pustules grows in pairs. Often times, I would have two pustules side by side, forming even bigger zits that are very painful.
It sounds terrible doesn't it? Well, you haven't even seen what it looks like. For the sake of your sanity and mine, I won't be posting pictures for now. I will most likely do a before and after picture once the scars on my face begin to clear up.
Possible Causation
I'm not sure what really caused the sudden breakouts. Some contributing factors could include stress (exams), seasonal changes (winter to spring) and the usage of a bad sunscreen (very oily and included possible irritating sunscreen).
You can learn more about picking the right sunscreen to avoid possible irritations by clicking here, a review that I wrote previously.
The Condition of My Face
The breakout lasted for nine months. Throughout those months I continuously broke out on both sides of my face. I broke out so often that my skin never had the chance to heal properly.
A lot of the times it takes about a month for nodules to fully disappear . At the same time, new pimples would pop up as well. It's basically a never ending cycle that gets worse and worse. Even after getting rid of one nodule, I would be sure to find another one popping up on the same spot within three days.
As you can imagine, the endless breakouts in the past nine months left my face heavily scarred. By the end of the mass breakout, my face was left with large amount of spots, hyper-pigmentation, and enlarged pores.
Methods I Used that Helped Me
I can't exactly remember what caused my skin to stop freaking out. But I basically dumbed down my entire routine to just two things for an entire month. I used a basic moisturizer and cleanser, Lacome's Creme Radiance Cleanser and Olay's Fresh Effect Moisturizer. ( Clicking on the underlined names would direct you to the reviews)
I used the two products for one whole month, and decided to exclude even Thermal Spring Water or eye cream. After a month I found that my skin was becoming more stabilized. I no longer broke out in patches, and the breakouts were less angry. I then proceed to add Avene's Thermal Spring Water to my routine. After about two weeks, I added in new night lotions. Two weeks later, I added in a new serum.
Basically, the philosophy behind my method is to be simple, dumb down the routine to stop whatever that was irritating your skin to come into contact with you (If you don't already know). Pick up each product, or new products slowly and separately ( I would say about 2 weeks apart). This gives you time to observe the results of each product, and it allows you to distinguish which result came from which product.
Remember:
Simplify -> Isolate -> Observe -> Attribute
My Skin Now
I haven't had any major breakouts for almost two months now. I used to breakout in patches, but now its just a couple of pimples here and there. The pimples that pop up now goes away faster than they used to. Unfortunately, it's easy for a pimple to pop up, but the marks they leave takes weeks, sometimes months to heal.
Despite the fact that I no longer break out as much, I still have lots of marks left on my face. When looking in the mirror, it looks like I still suffer from severe acne, but my skin is actually pretty smooth when touched.
My Two Cents on Products That Reduces Acne Scars
Personally, I think the skin has its own natural recovery cycle. By using any external products that contains chemicals that helps to speed up the process of recovering from a scar is a disruption. The skin may recover at a fast pace, but I believe it ultimately eats into the skin's health in the long-run.
In terms of seeing immediate results from a product, I would feel much safer if a product is able to provide a slow and stable result, instead of a fast, immediate result. A product that gives you a major boost regarding your complexion, is more like a drug than natural skincare.
Time is the only factor that ensures safe healing for your skin. I know it's frustrating when there are marks and spots everywhere, but it's better to take the safe route as damages done to the skin is often not visible till years later, and by then it is often difficult to repair.
Personally, I believe in sticking to a product that you know will not irritant your skin. Don't be frustrated when you don't see results, give it some time before hastily switching to another product! As I've mentioned before, time is the best healer.
This concludes my very first rant! I hope my experiences have helped you somewhat. Feel free to ask me questions. I would be happy to help in ways I can :) Below is a picture and list of my current routine. I will post individual reviews for each product that I am currently using, and I will also update the links on this post once I have them posted out. Best of luck Bumbles!
My Current Routine (Click on title to see review!)
Make-Up Remover/First Cleanse:
Avene's Micellar Lotion - Coming Soon
Day and night cleanser (Second cleanse for night time):
Lancome's Radiance Creme Cleanser
Day and night Toner:
Kiehl's Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner - Coming Soon
Currently testing this product out, still deciding whether I will be adding this to my routine
Day and night soothing spray:
Avene's Thermal Spring Water
Day and night eye cream:
Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado - Coming Soon
Morning moisturizer:
Olay's Total Effect Moisturizer
Night time serum and moisturizer
Body Shop's Drops of Youth Serum
Body Shop's Blemish Fade Night Lotion
Spot treatment for day and night:
La Roche Posay's Effaclar Duo Dual Acne Treatment
Night time blemish/scar treatment:
Life Brand's Vitaderma Oil
Follow me on Instagram for more often updates :) Click me!
I started breaking out in March of this year and it lasted for over 9 months. The breakouts started off small, then slowly proceeded into a combination of black/whiteheads, nodules and pustules.
Nodules are large, inflamed pimples that are develop deep within the skin. They are firm to the touch and usually lasts for weeks on end because they are basically a big bump with no openings. I had so many of these that the shape of my face was disfigured, especially around the cheek area.
Pustules are inflamed whiteheads that sting when you touch them, they usually have a ring of redness around them, and are always filled with pus. For me, Pustules grows in pairs. Often times, I would have two pustules side by side, forming even bigger zits that are very painful.
It sounds terrible doesn't it? Well, you haven't even seen what it looks like. For the sake of your sanity and mine, I won't be posting pictures for now. I will most likely do a before and after picture once the scars on my face begin to clear up.
Possible Causation
I'm not sure what really caused the sudden breakouts. Some contributing factors could include stress (exams), seasonal changes (winter to spring) and the usage of a bad sunscreen (very oily and included possible irritating sunscreen).
You can learn more about picking the right sunscreen to avoid possible irritations by clicking here, a review that I wrote previously.
The Condition of My Face
The breakout lasted for nine months. Throughout those months I continuously broke out on both sides of my face. I broke out so often that my skin never had the chance to heal properly.
A lot of the times it takes about a month for nodules to fully disappear . At the same time, new pimples would pop up as well. It's basically a never ending cycle that gets worse and worse. Even after getting rid of one nodule, I would be sure to find another one popping up on the same spot within three days.
As you can imagine, the endless breakouts in the past nine months left my face heavily scarred. By the end of the mass breakout, my face was left with large amount of spots, hyper-pigmentation, and enlarged pores.
Methods I Used that Helped Me
I can't exactly remember what caused my skin to stop freaking out. But I basically dumbed down my entire routine to just two things for an entire month. I used a basic moisturizer and cleanser, Lacome's Creme Radiance Cleanser and Olay's Fresh Effect Moisturizer. ( Clicking on the underlined names would direct you to the reviews)
I used the two products for one whole month, and decided to exclude even Thermal Spring Water or eye cream. After a month I found that my skin was becoming more stabilized. I no longer broke out in patches, and the breakouts were less angry. I then proceed to add Avene's Thermal Spring Water to my routine. After about two weeks, I added in new night lotions. Two weeks later, I added in a new serum.
Basically, the philosophy behind my method is to be simple, dumb down the routine to stop whatever that was irritating your skin to come into contact with you (If you don't already know). Pick up each product, or new products slowly and separately ( I would say about 2 weeks apart). This gives you time to observe the results of each product, and it allows you to distinguish which result came from which product.
Remember:
Simplify -> Isolate -> Observe -> Attribute
My Skin Now
I haven't had any major breakouts for almost two months now. I used to breakout in patches, but now its just a couple of pimples here and there. The pimples that pop up now goes away faster than they used to. Unfortunately, it's easy for a pimple to pop up, but the marks they leave takes weeks, sometimes months to heal.
Despite the fact that I no longer break out as much, I still have lots of marks left on my face. When looking in the mirror, it looks like I still suffer from severe acne, but my skin is actually pretty smooth when touched.
My Two Cents on Products That Reduces Acne Scars
Personally, I think the skin has its own natural recovery cycle. By using any external products that contains chemicals that helps to speed up the process of recovering from a scar is a disruption. The skin may recover at a fast pace, but I believe it ultimately eats into the skin's health in the long-run.
In terms of seeing immediate results from a product, I would feel much safer if a product is able to provide a slow and stable result, instead of a fast, immediate result. A product that gives you a major boost regarding your complexion, is more like a drug than natural skincare.
Time is the only factor that ensures safe healing for your skin. I know it's frustrating when there are marks and spots everywhere, but it's better to take the safe route as damages done to the skin is often not visible till years later, and by then it is often difficult to repair.
Personally, I believe in sticking to a product that you know will not irritant your skin. Don't be frustrated when you don't see results, give it some time before hastily switching to another product! As I've mentioned before, time is the best healer.
This concludes my very first rant! I hope my experiences have helped you somewhat. Feel free to ask me questions. I would be happy to help in ways I can :) Below is a picture and list of my current routine. I will post individual reviews for each product that I am currently using, and I will also update the links on this post once I have them posted out. Best of luck Bumbles!
My Current Routine (Click on title to see review!)
Make-Up Remover/First Cleanse:
Avene's Micellar Lotion - Coming Soon
Day and night cleanser (Second cleanse for night time):
Lancome's Radiance Creme Cleanser
Day and night Toner:
Kiehl's Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner - Coming Soon
Currently testing this product out, still deciding whether I will be adding this to my routine
Day and night soothing spray:
Avene's Thermal Spring Water
Day and night eye cream:
Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado - Coming Soon
Morning moisturizer:
Olay's Total Effect Moisturizer
Night time serum and moisturizer
Body Shop's Drops of Youth Serum
Body Shop's Blemish Fade Night Lotion
Spot treatment for day and night:
La Roche Posay's Effaclar Duo Dual Acne Treatment
Night time blemish/scar treatment:
Life Brand's Vitaderma Oil
Follow me on Instagram for more often updates :) Click me!
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